New Baldur's Gate 3 Update Includes New "Game-Changing" Mechanics, Fine-Tuned Roleplaying, And More
Written by Liana Ruppert 
It's been a hot minute since we've covered Baldur's Gate 3 news. Luckily, the latest Panel From Hell showcase gives us a reason to break that silence because Larian Studios just gave fans an update on what they can expect from a new Baldur's Gate 3 update dropping next week.
The latest Panel From Hell is the third entry into this video series, and it's a solid place to give the D&D community an update on what's being done behind the scenes to get Baldur's Gate 3 out of Early Access. The newest update for the role-playing game is set to go live on July 13 and will include notable changes to the gameplay experience in several key ways.
From a bigger focus on roleplaying to changes to the AI, here is a brief overview of what players can expect come next week.
The Active Roll System
According to Larian, the upcoming update will give players more agency regarding their skill checks. Active Roll allows players to utilize certain spells and apply particular buffs to their rolls in order to increase the odds of passing a skill check. In conjunction with other UI updates, the Active Roll will also let players see any modifiers and status effects directly through the game's UI.
Camp Supplies
When you're ready to end the night and eager to progress in the story, you can rest that customized head of yours in the Long Rest camp area. Forgetting for a second how it very much feels (in the most wonderful way possible) like the camp interactions in Dragon Age Origins, Larian is making it even easier to get cozy with companions with a new Camp Resources feature. Making the Long Rest more effective, Patch 5 will utilize spare scraps and food found while exploring the world to make resting a little bit more strategic and less wasteful. Larian jokingly added, "Finally, a use for your giant hoard of dead fish!"
Mini Camps are also on the horizon, offering players a different way to rest than the usual camp site. According to Larian, "From the Chapel near the Ravaged Beach to the Underdark, we've recreated every landmark as its own isolated location that can be accessed when you're ready to hunker down for your Long Rest."
What Are Background Goals?
You know how when you're making your character, you can choose a specific background? You can be the Acolyte, the Folk Hero -- you can be whatever you choose to be! Now, Larian is taking that step further by adding Background Goals. Background Goals are what players will see with the next patch, giving characters their own secret miniquests to complete depending on which background was chosen during creation.
When talking about how this works, Larian kept it simple, saying: "When a Folk Hero does something Folksy and Heroic or an Urchin does something Urchiny, they’ll be rewarded. It’s a new way to encourage role-playing, with players directly benefiting from acting as their characters would in any given scenario."
AI Tweaks
Patch 5 will also include changes made to the game's AI. According to Larian, it's a "serious tune-up" that makes enemies more intelligent, unarmed enemies able to pick up discarded weapons, and goblins a way to heal one another by gifting health potions. "Wonder as your NPC companions make sensible, self-perserving decisions," Larian added.
End On A Tease
Larian ended the reveal with a small tease, "There are a huge number of other improvements we've made for Patch 5, including Non-Lethal Attack Mode, old-school point-and-click dialogue, and some very intriguing new story content around a certain party member..."
A plethora of other AI tweaks will be revealed when the full official patch notes release on the same day the update drops: July 13.
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Written by Andrew HeatonNetflix's The Witcher TV Series Blood Origin Casts Its Éile, Filming Begins Next Month
Written by Liana Ruppert 
Netflix's The Witcher TV series called Blood Origin continues to add to its cast of characters bringing this prequel show to life. With the recent confirmation that Michelle Yeoh joined the cast, Netflix has revealed yet another actress lending her talents to this adaptation. Meet Éile, a warrior-turned-musician that will be played by Sophia Brown.
You may know Brown from 2017's Beauty and the Beast and 2019's The Capture, but now she's joining the world of Witchers as the latest character revealed for the upcoming show. According to Netflix, Éile is an "elite warrior-turned-nomadic musician who is forced to return to the way of the blade after a grand reckoning on the Continent sends her on a quest for vengeance and redemption.
The cast for prequel series THE WITCHER: BLOOD ORIGIN continues to grow
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) July 8, 2021
Sophia Brown joins as Éile, an elite warrior-turned-nomadic musician who is forced to return to the way of the blade after a grand reckoning on the Continent sends her on a quest for vengeance and redemption pic.twitter.com/mjlhqH4gIM
Deadline confirmed in an earlier report that filming on the upcoming show will begin in August.
Blood Origin a six-part live-action spinoff show from the mainstay live-action take that is preparing to launch season two. The prequel series is being led by Declan de Barra alongside Netflix's The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich.
“As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I am beyond excited to tell the story The Witcher: Blood Origin,” mentioned executive producer Declan de Barra when the prequel was first revealed. “A question has been burning in my mind ever since I first read The Witcher books – What was the Elven world really like before the cataclysmic arrival of the humans? I’ve always been fascinated by the rise and fall of civilizations, how science, discovery, and culture flourish right before that fall.”
Hissrich added, “I am so thrilled to collaborate with Declan and the Netflix team on The Witcher: Blood Origin. It’s an exciting challenge to explore and expand The Witcher universe created by Andrzej Sapkowski, and we can’t wait to introduce fans to new characters and an original story that will enrich our magical, mythical world even more."
With Netflix's The Witcher season 2 bracing for its release sometime later this year on top of Blood Origin also in development, there will be many opportunities to toss those coins at your Netflix service.
What do you think about the latest casting decision for Netflix's The Witcher: Blood Origin? Are you excited to learn more about the world of Witchers not centered around Geralt? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below.
Apex Legends Director Talks Next Character Ahead Of EA Play Showcase, 'Interesting And Unique'
Written by Jason Guisao 
EA Play Live kicked off today with “The Future of FPS” Spotlight. We got a look at some highly-anticipated Battlefield 2042 content as well as a lot of new details about Apex Legends from Chad Grenier, the game’s director. As we all know, Apex Legends has garnered overwhelming success since its release in 2019. Javy Gwaltney loved the battle royale when he reviewed it, and I continue to play it every day. With 100 million total players worldwide, it’s only natural that the game would get its own slot during the Spotlight.
July 22 is when the main EA Play Event is showcased, so Grenier (alongside Respawn Entertainment founder Vince Zampella), decided to let us in on some sneak peek info to keep things interesting leading up to the future of Apex Legends. And let me tell you, that future is looking bright. The new Arenas mode looks to push the game to other horizons beyond the tried and true battle royale formula. Grenier confirmed today that Apex Legends Season 10 will come with a ranked version of Arenas so that the best duelists in the world can finally work forward to seeing their names on the leaderboard. Additionally, we'll be getting some new info on the next character to join the roster. Grenier says that "he [as in, the character's pronoun] is very interesting and unique."
Click here to watch embedded mediaWhat makes Apex Legends so special is the fact that it launched without any prior marketing. Grenier humorously stated during the Spotlight that the team was inspired by the “Beyonce drop” which happened in 2013 with the sudden release of her acclaimed self-titled album. Apex Legends, in its own way, has followed suit with a bevy of positive reviews and a burgeoning player base. Events have become commonplace and new seasons bring the promise of new playable legends and maps. Season 9 has been a fun ride, and EA as well as Respawn have plans to continue the excitement in the coming months (and, hopefully, years).
It’s Thursday, which means a Game Informer Live stream! Join us at 2 p.m. CT on Twitch as we’ll be braving Dark Souls III and its new-gen update on Xbox consoles. The incredible Alex Stadnik will be on the sticks while I, the amazing Marcus Stewart, will provide commentary, moral support, as well as interacting with you, the viewer at home.
Click here to watch embedded mediaToday, the game received a performance update for Xbox Series X/S that bumps the framerate up to a smooth 60 fps. If you’re an Xbox owner, there’s never been a better time to either revisit Dark Souls III or tackle it for the first time.
Dark Souls III released in 2016 to critical acclaim and stands as, arguably, the high point for the trilogy. Editor Dan Tack said in his review that “Dark Souls III successfully replicates the winning formula of the Souls series, a wondrous combination of majestic boss battles, incredibly layered environments full of secrets, and precise combat that can make other action RPGs difficult to play once you’ve mastered the art. If you’ve never played the series, this is a great place to begin, offering a bit more direction in the early game before opening up. If you’ve already played the series, you can feel confident that From Software hasn’t lost its touch.”
Alex has never finished Dark Souls III, and while that won’t be changing today (unless he really praises the sun), he’ll still give it his all to survive its challenges for as long as possible. Be sure to tune in to cheer him on and goof around with us. Our Twitch streams are like a digital hootenanny with all manner of celebration and shenanigans taking place.
If you can’t catch us on Twitch, don’t despair! You can watch the archived stream on the Game Informer YouTube channel 24 hours later.